Motoring & Legislation
Article By Luke Fraser
New rules coming for car licences in South Africa as the National Road Traffic Act will require certified identification presented for the renewal of a licence.
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South Africa’s new national requirements for vehicle registration and licensing have been delayed at the last minute, but changes are still coming for 2026.
The new system was supposed to launch on 1 November 2025 and would change how vehicle licences are issued in the country, with a larger administrative burden for South African motorists.
This was a requirement of the National Road Traffic Act. However, the City of Cape Town reached out to authorities to seek clarity on certain aspects.
The new system was supposed to require certified identification documentation to be presented at all relevant offices for vehicle licensing transactions
However, South Africans are exempt from producing a certified copy of their IDs if they received an SMS for the renewal of their licence from relevant authorities like the Road Traffic Management Corporation.
Certified identification documents refer to legible copies of official identification documents. This includes
- RSA ID Book or ID Card
- Foreign ID
- Traffic Register Number (TRN) Certificate
However, the City of Cape Town sought clarification on the use of passports and driving licenses as certified identification documents.
The relevant documentation was required to be certified as true copies of the original by a Commissioner of Oaths, Notary, or Authorised Official.
Certification must comply with the Justices of the Peace Commissioner of Oaths Act of 1963.
The certification had to be dated within three months of submission and contain an official stamp and signature of the certifying officer.
After having sought clarity on the new national requirements for vehicle registration and licensing, the City of Cape Town was informed that the implementation has been delayed.
The city had been informed that the implementation would no longer come into effect on 1 November 2025, with the city continuing to engage the authorities and seek clarity.
The city said that following the conclusion of engagements, a new directive will be issued in the new year.
Improvements for drives licences
The vehicle licence update comes amid a significant reduction in driving license card applications in South Africa, which has declined tremendously this year.
The Department of Transport previously noted that the number of outstanding licence cards has more than halved in four months.
Outstanding licences reduced from 756,227 in May to 336,028 by mid-September. Delays kicked off when the nation’s only licence card printing machine broke down.
The machine, which is more than 25 years old, has suffered repeated failures over its lifetime, breaking down over 160 times. These breakdowns result in regular backlogs.
The machine was restored in early May, at which point the backlog had grown to more than three-quarters of a million cards.
The Driving Licence Card Account started running 24-hour shifts to catch up on the issue, with the Department hoping to bring the backlog to an acceptable level by the year-end.
The Department expected the backlog to be fully cleared by December, with the problem resolved by Christmas.
The replacement of the printing machine has hit several issues in South Africa, with the Auditor General highlighting irregularities in a tender to acquire a new machine.
The tender’s R900 million was far higher than the original budget, with the winning bidder also not meeting technical requirements. Transport Minister Barbara Creecy sought legal action to stop the tender.
In the meantime, the Creecy signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Home Affairs to print licences.
The Government Printing Works is already producing passports, Smart ID cards, and will now add driving licences.
Article Credit to: BusinessTech Motoring News.
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